Therapeutics development for triplet repeat expansion diseases

The underlying genetic mutations for many inherited neurodegenerative disorders have been identified in recent years. One frequent type of mutation is trinucleotide repeat expansion. Depending on the location of the repeat expansion, the mutation might result in a loss of function of the disease gene, a toxic gain of function or both. Disease gene identification has led to the development of model systems for investigating disease mechanisms and evaluating treatments. Examination of experimental findings reveals similarities in disease mechanisms as well as possibilities for treatment.     

Increased intestinal permeability in obese mice: new evidence in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

A small percentage of pathologically obese subjects with fatty livers develop histological signs of necroinflammation and fibrosis, suggesting a variety of cofactors in the pathogenesis of obesity-related liver diseases including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Since several observations have linked bacterial endotoxins to liver damage, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of obesity on intestinal mucosal integrity and portal blood endotoxemia in two strains of obese mice: leptin-deficient (ob/ob) and hyperleptinemic (db/db) mice. Murine intestinal mucosal barrier function was assessed using a Ussing chamber, whereas ileum tight junction proteins were analyzed by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. Circulating proinflammatory cytokines and portal blood endotoxin levels were measured by ELISA and the limulus test, respectively. The inflammatory and fibrogenic phenotype of murine hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) was determined by ELISA and quantitative RT-PCR. Ob/ob and db/db mice showed lower intestinal resistance, profoundly modified distribution of occludin and zonula occludens-1 in the intestinal mucosa, and higher circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines and portal endotoxemia compared with lean control mice. Moreover, HSCs isolated from ob/ob and db/db mice showed higher membrane CD14 mRNA levels and more pronounced lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory and fibrogenic responses than HSCs from lean animals. In conclusion, genetically obese mice display enhanced intestinal permeability leading to increased portal endotoxemia that makes HSCs more sensitive to bacterial endotoxins. We suggest that in metabolic syndrome, patients may likewise have a greater intestinal mucosa permeability and increased lipopolysaccharide levels in portal blood that can contribute to the liver inflammatory damage.     

Origin and Diet of the Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers on the Mediterranean Island of Favignana (ègadi Islands,Sicily)

Hunter-gatherers living in Europe during the transition from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene intensified food acquisition by broadening the range of resources exploited to include marine taxa. However, little is known on the nature of this dietary change in the Mediterranean Basin. A key area to investigate this issue is the archipelago of the Ègadi Islands, most of which were connected to Sicily until the early Holocene. The site of Grotta d’Oriente, on the present-day island of Favignana, was occupied by hunter-gatherers when Postglacial environmental changes were taking place (14,000-7,500 cal BP). Here we present the results of AMS radiocarbon dating, palaeogenetic and isotopic analyses undertaken on skeletal remains of the humans buried at Grotta d’Oriente. Analyses of the mitochondrial hypervariable first region of individual Oriente B, which belongs to the HV-1 haplogroup, suggest for the first time on genetic grounds that humans living in Sicily during the early Holocene could have originated from groups that migrated from the Italian Peninsula around the Last Glacial Maximum. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses show that the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of Favignana consumed almost exclusively protein from terrestrial game and that there was only a slight increase in marine food consumption from the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene. This dietary change was similar in scale to that at sites on mainland Sicily and in the rest of the Mediterranean, suggesting that the hunter-gatherers of Grotta d’Oriente did not modify their subsistence strategies specifically to adapt to the progressive isolation of Favignana. The limited development of technologies for intensively exploiting marine resources was probably a consequence both of Mediterranean oligotrophy and of the small effective population size of these increasingly isolated human groups, which made innovation less likely and prevented transmission of fitness-enhancing adaptations.     

Anti-herpes simplex virus 1 and immunomodulatory activities of a poly-γ- glutamic acid from Bacillus horneckiae strain APA of shallow vent origin

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is responsible of common and widespread viral infections in humans through the world, and of rare, but extremely severe,...     

Generation of a transgenic mouse model with chondrocyte-specific and tamoxifen-inducible expression of Cre recombinase

Postnatal cartilage development and growth are regulated by key growth factors and signaling molecules. To fully understand the function of these regulators, an inducible and chondrocyte-specific gene deletion system needs to be established to circumvent the perinatal lethality. In this report, we have generated a transgenic mouse model (Col2a1-CreER(T2)) in which expression of the Cre recombinase is driven by the chondrocyte-specific col2a1 promoter in a tamoxifen-inducible manner. To determine the specificity and efficiency of the Cre recombination, we have bred Col2a1-CreER(T2) mice with Rosa26R reporter mice. The X-Gal staining showed that the Cre recombination is specifically achieved in cartilage tissues with tamoxifen-induction. In vitro experiments of chondrocyte cell culture also demonstrate the 4-hydroxy tamoxifen-induced Cre recombination. These results demonstrate that Col2a1-CreER(T2) transgenic mice can be used as a valuable tool for an inducible and chondrocyte-specific gene deletion approach.     

Development of a new class of potential antiatherosclerosis agents: NO-donor antioxidants

A new class of NO-donor phenol derivatives is described. The products were obtained by joining appropriate phenols with either nitrooxy or 3-phenylsulfonylfuroxan-4-yloxy moieties. All the compounds proved to inhibit the ferrous salt/ascorbate induced lipidic peroxidation of membrane lipids of rat hepatocytes. They were also capable of dilating rat aorta strips precontracted with phenylephrine.     

卵巢上皮癌中ING4 基因启动子的甲基化状态及其临床意义

目的：探讨卵巢上皮癌中ING4 基因启动子的甲基化状态及其临床意义。方法：收集2005 年7 月至2012 年6 月哈尔滨医科 大学附属第一医院行全面分期手术并经病理检查确诊的150 例卵巢上皮癌组织标本,并以同期因子宫肌瘤或子宫腺肌症行子宫 全切除术或次全切除术并经病理检查确诊为正常卵巢组织的150 例标本作为对照组。采用甲基化特异性PCR（MSP）技术检测卵 巢上皮癌组织与正常卵巢组织中ING4 基因启动子的甲基化状态,蛋白印迹法检测ING4 蛋白的表达,并分析ING4 基因启动子 的甲基化状态与卵巢上皮癌临床病例特征的关系。结果：卵巢上皮癌组织中ING4 基因启动子的甲基化阳性率为42.7%（64/150）, 明显高于正常卵巢组织（4%,6/150）,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。ING4 基因启动子甲基化阳性的卵巢上皮癌组织中ING4蛋白 表达阴性或弱阳性;ING4 基因启动子甲基化阴性的卵巢上皮癌和正常卵巢组织中ING4 蛋白表达阳性;在64 例ING4 基因启动 子甲基化的卵巢上皮癌组织中,ING4 蛋白表达强度与ING4 基因启动子的甲基化程度呈负相关（r=-0.435,P<0.05）。卵巢上皮癌 组织中,ING4 基因甲基化的阳性率随着手术病理分期和组织学分级的增加而增加（P<0.05）;卵巢透明细胞癌（55.6%,10/18）和卵 巢子宫内膜样癌（59.3%,16/27）中ING4 基因甲基化的阳性率显著高于浆液性囊腺癌（33.9%,20/59）和粘液性囊腺癌（39.1%, 18/46）（P<0.05）;ING4基因启动子的甲基化状态与患者的年龄、有无腹水及淋巴结转移均无显著相关性（P>0.05）。结论：ING4 基 因启动子的甲基化可能促进了其在卵巢上皮癌组织中的表达失活,进而促进了卵巢上皮癌的生长和分化。